This article from New Scientist reports that NASA needs about $3 Billion more dollars in their budget to support "meaningful" human space exploration, and that the Obama administration is likely to give them part of their request.
In October, a report by a White House panel headed by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine said NASA would be unable to support meaningful human space exploration without at least $3 billion more per year.
In my opinon, we have much higher priorities for our science and research funding than manned space exploration, which is dangerous and expensive. Things like high-efficiency cars, future fuel sources, smart power distribution, smart traffic control, robotic warfare. We need ways to find WMD's, and ways to zap terrorists from thousands of miles away.
NASA should focus on cheaper (relatively) un-manned exploration. We should be sending more robot probes and space telescopes, not people. Star Trek will remain a fantasy for now, and that is OK.
